''Senecio tropaeolifolius'', which is known as false nasturtium or nasturtium-leaf spearhead is a

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

plant in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

that is native to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

.Senecio tropaeolifolius - False Nasturtium
by World of Succulents

Description

It is a succulent plant that grows to 20cm to 30cm tall and will have a width of 40cm to 60cm, forming an evergreen cluster and as well as a

caudex A caudex (plural: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is m ...

. Featuring articulated

tuberous Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing s ...

roots, the plant may also

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...

. The clumps will feature brightly coloured, yellow-orange, daisy-like blooms from autumn to winter on 5cm long spikes. The plant is so called because its leaves resemble those of the unrelated nasturtiums (genus ''

Tropaeolum ''Tropaeolum'' , commonly known as nasturtium (; literally "nose-twister" or "nose-tweaker"), is a genus of roughly 80 species of annual and perennial herbaceous flowering plants. It was named by Carl Linnaeus in his book ''Species Plantarum'' ...

''). They also bear a similarity to the leaves of ''

Senecio angulatus ''Senecio angulatus'', also known as creeping groundsel and Cape ivy, is a Succulent plant, succulent flowering plant in the family Asteraceae that is native to South Africa. Cape ivy is a scrambling and a vine, twining herb that can become an N ...

'', a closely related vine.

Taxonomy

The plant has been considered to be a subspecies of ''Senecio oxyriifolius'', although recent studies have shown that, whilst they are closely related, they are different enough to be disparate species. The most striking difference is that this plant has ray

floret This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

Cultivation

The plant is hardy to zones 9b to 11b. It can be growing from stem cuttings. It would thrive in containers, such as

hanging basket A hanging basket is a suspended container used for growing decorative plants. Typically they are hung from buildings, where garden space is at a premium, and from street furniture for environmental enhancement. They may also be suspended from fre ...

s, and would do well as a

groundcover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows over an area of ground. Groundcover provides protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought. In an ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as t ...

too, due to the cascading and sprawling nature of the stems. Thriving in some full sun to shade, it cannot withstand soggy soils and would be tolerable of drought. It can also be grown as a

bonsai Bonsai ( ja, 盆栽, , tray planting, ) is the Japanese art of growing and training miniature trees in pots, developed from the traditional Chinese art form of ''penjing''. Unlike ''penjing'', which utilizes traditional techniques to produce ...

specimen.Senecio tropaeolifolius , Nasturtium-leaf Spear Head
Groovy Plants Ranch

Gallery

File:Senecio tropaeolifolius caudex.jpg, Caudex File:Senecio tropaeolifolius container.jpg, Container File:Senecio tropaeolifolius.jpg, Bush habit File:Senecio tropaeolifolius flowering.jpg, Groundcover with flowers emerging

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15601149 tropaeolifolius Flora of Southern Africa Garden plants Drought-tolerant plants Ornamental plants Garden plants of Africa Plants described in 1867 Plants used in bonsai